


Moving On

by Pastel_Forest_Barista



Category: Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Family, Romance, chosen family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28418466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pastel_Forest_Barista/pseuds/Pastel_Forest_Barista
Summary: After major deaths Artemis is looking to move on, and she may have found the person to do that with, but will they be able to survive? I own nothing.
Relationships: Artemis Crock/OC
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Moving On – Chapter 1

She didn’t want to be at the coffee shop. She liked her coffee black with occasional milk, so getting fancy coffee didn’t make sense, but was she now sitting in some wannabe hippie coffee shop waiting for a blind date to show up? Yup.

She’d moved to Boston to be an associate professor at Harvard a year and a half ago. When her coworkers and Ph.D students realized she hadn’t been on a date since arriving they immediately decided to set her up. They weren’t the first to try. Zatanna, Raquel, and M’gann had all tried. Conner even gave it a shot, and she actually appreciated his attempt, because he made sure the guy would bail so she could just go home. Now, Artemis hoped this guy would bail too.

She’d brought a book with her: The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. She’d read it before, but right now was trying to jot down good ideas for a comparative story in western lit. People had suggested Sherlock Holmes, but that was a poor fit. She also had an old copy of Sherlock Holmes. Will would read it to Lian sometimes saying he wanted her to grow up a good detective. Just in case. That just in case idea expired the moment she did.

“Hello,” a man said in front of her.

“And you are?,” Artemis muttered, hoping he would go away.

“I believe I’m your blind date.” He sat in the chair opposite to her and set down his coffee. No, not coffee, some kind of tea. “Though, I’m glad I’m not blind or I wouldn’t be able to take in the sight of you,” he said with a slight grin.

Artemis was somewhat disappointed. She actually liked a well-placed bad pick-up line unlike his greasy attempt at charm. She really shouldn’t have come. “Wonderful,” she said aloud, “you find yourself charming. Look I don’t know what you want out of today, but I really doubt I’m what you’re looking for, so we can either sit and be friends or I can be on my merry way.” She says this to try and be nice, gentle even, by some standards, but he snorts to himself at her words.

“Well, I didn’t exactly come to appease myself two of my friends are at the other end of the shop to make sure I go through with this,” he said losing some of his initial charm and sagging into his seat. “While I’m here I would like to have thirty minutes of conversation then we can part ways. I will tell my friends you enjoy The Office and you can tell yours I use greasy pick-up lines, and we never do this again.”

Artemis was stunned. His switch caught her off-guard. Typically people’s body language gave them away before their mouth did, but his switch was smooth.

“So, if I tell you my damage will you tell me yours?” He began pouring some sugar into his tea. The teabag said chamomile. Artemis liked chamomile tea.

“You first,” she said putting her book down gently with the pages to the table and picking up her coffee. Hopefully she’d hear some tragic story about a girl too good for him who left and now he was a pessimist about everything.

“So,” he began, dipping his teabag and grinning like a kid who’d gotten away with something, “for starters my father didn’t know I existed until about four months ago and I’m currently 28. I was home schooled by my mother who told me that said father didn’t want me. Her idea of homeschooling was dropping me off at an undisclosed location and telling me to get home in one piece. She taught me pretty much everything there is to know about martial arts.”

“Now I’m a lawyer,” he laughed his brown eyes lighting up for a moment, “Fighting paperwork takes most of my time. Anyway, in the past few years she has become a pretty big player in massive crime syndicates and leagues of assassins. I was a good errand boy until I turned eighteen. Then I went to school and now I’m a lawyer. We’re still in contact, but the relationship is a bit strained especially since I’ve made contact with my father.” He flashed a smile again. He took a sip of his tea and wet his lips. “So, what do you think?”

Artemis was shocked. His story fit the story of a person Oliver had been meaning to introduce her to for a few months now. His estranged son and Lady Shiva’s heir: William Wu.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
William looked at her giddily. He seemed to expect her to run off or make an excuse to leave, but the longer they sat the more his giddy at his fun little game depleted. His eyes began to dart around. Artemis knew who he was, but he still didn’t know who she was.  
She wished she’d noticed before, but he really looked nothing like Oliver. Perhaps Oliver was in his build, he was slim and muscular, Lady Shiva was tall and Artemis knew nothing about her family, so that wouldn’t help. He did have a beard coming in that was well groomed, so at least it was purposeful on his part. Oliver has a tendency to let his go when he gets stressed, like right now, and it is not a good look for him.   
“Hello, um,” he said, now shifting uncomfortably, “I realize I never got your name.”   
“Well, shouldn’t you tell me yours first since you decided to skip that part of your introduction.” She sipped more of her coffee.   
“Right,” he breathed, “William Wu.”  
“Nice to meet you William Wu, I knew Oliver had a mysterious son, I’m glad we finally got to meet.”  
William’s body language shifted again. He became cautious pulling into himself while moving his legs into positions that would be better for running or fighting depending on what became necessary. The giddiness he exuded disappeared entirely. His eyes lost their relaxed gleam and locked on her. “Tell me exactly who you are and tell me now.” He leaned forward slightly to keep his voice low, but the atmosphere change at the table was noticed by the other guests.   
“You should spend less time in paperwork and more time doing field work, but apparently Oliver hasn’t told you much about me,” Artemis whispered with a breathy laugh.   
William did not seem to appreciate the lightness with which she spoke.   
“It’s my turn to introduce myself I see.” Artemis sighed and leaned back. “I was born in Gotham and started training in the family business when I was five. My, now dead, mother was paralyzed and went to prison when I was nine. My older sister ran off a month after leaving me with my dad who continued to train me for the family business. He actually had a similar idea of training as your mother, but he specialized in weaponry and less hand to hand, so I like gadgets.”  
She paused as a waitress came over to deliver a scone to William who thanked her coldly. The waitress gave Artemis a look to tell her she wasn’t impressed with her date. The tables around them had settled down when Artemis began speaking, but most were out of earshot anyways. The scone looked fresh, but William didn’t touch it.  
Artemis took another sip of coffee before continuing. “At fifteen, my mother got out of jail, came home, and kicked my dad out. I met Oliver shortly after and did my best to get out of the family business. It went well. I made friends, met a boy, went to college.” Artemis paused for dramatic effect, because if this guy got to have a little fun then so did she. “Boy died, my sister got pregnant and skipped town, so I helped my brother in-law raise my niece.” This time Artemis paused because she wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep going. She didn’t know if he deserved to know all of it. “They aren’t around anymore,” she said, “so I came here to teach trust fund kids and geniuses how to write. And my name is Artemis Crock.”  
William leaned back in his chair. One hand went to his mouth resting just under his nose and covering his lips. His elbow rested on his other arm which was crossed over his chest. “Oliver told me a bit about you, but he gave me the impression you were still in California. My mother never liked your father,” he started, “but she said your mother was nice.”   
“Ha, Oliver wishes I were still in California,” Artemis guffawed, “my mom said your mom was an honorific zealot. She wasn’t a big fan. My dad liked her though.”  
The two assassin raised non-assassins smiled at each other. William raised his tea. “Why don’t we try and have an actual conversation then?”   
“Alright, then,” Artemis said, “Why did you decide to become a lawyer?”  
“My mom ended up where she did because she followed her honor and there were others like her, but plenty more just ended up there.” He finally took a bite of his scone. “This is really good by the way.”  
“I ate before I came, wasn’t sure how long this would end up taking.”  
“Ah, makes sense, anyway I just met a lot of people who ended up there because options were taken away after they messed up one time. I didn’t think it was fair, so I decided to become a criminal defense lawyer. I take a few sleazebags here and there to get good money, but I try hard to take smaller cases. People who need a break, or at the very least they don’t need more doors closed to them than are already,” He took another bite, “What about you? Friend said you were some kind of professor.”  
“I am an associate professor in the humanities department. I specialize in comparative literature, specifically between western and eastern cultures. Most of my classes are freshman and sophomore classes and I have two grants for research.” She said proudly. She loved what she did and he could tell.  
“Okay, but what got you into it?” he asked.  
“I guess being half Asian half white. I never really fit. You don’t exactly see a bunch of blond Asians running around,” she laughed, “I always liked books too. You could hide in them. Make the rest of the world go away. Training, screaming, blood, bullets. All gone in a few pages.” She said too much and she knew it.  
He smiled and nodded at her. She remembered he was half Asian too.  
“Does your mom not beg you to go back?” Artemis asked.   
“No, we both realized a long time ago that the life she lived wasn’t the life I wanted. Me getting to know my father better has further complicated that issue.” He took the final bite of his scone and wiped his hands on a napkin. “What about your family?”  
“My mom was super supportive of me leaving the life forever and settling down, but I made good friends in the life and want to have their backs if it comes down to it. My sister and dad live and breathe it, but they know I’d never go to work with them. They do pop up occasionally to say hi though.”  
“Ha, pop up is right! My mother has taken the appearing like a shadow thing to heart. It’s complicated right now, but I also don’t know how to fully walk away without losing her, and I don’t know that I’m prepared to do that.”  
“Yeah, even when the one parent you have kinda sucks they get points for sticking around.”  
Both of them gave a breathy laugh at that. Then William’s phone rang.  
“Ah, my emergency call,” he jested, pulling out his phone. He declined the call.  
“I do actually have a meeting to get to in twenty minutes, so I better go,” Artemis said as she put a real bookmark in her book and put it away, “I’ll give Ollie a call too, he’ll love to know that we already met.”  
“Would you hold off on that?” William asked.  
“Why?”  
“To be honest I’d like to get to know you outside of our odd circles.” He stood and began putting his jacket on. “Can I have your number?”  
Artemis gave him a quizzical look, honestly she had never met a civilian that she hadn’t had to lie to. He wasn’t quite a civilian, but there weren’t many people in her world who switched sides after being born into another. She wanted to talk to him. “Sure.” Artemis quickly pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and handed it to him so he could put in his info. “Maybe next time we should meet on the mats and compare training.”  
William glanced up. “That can be arranged.” He handed the phone back and smiled. “I’ll call you.”  
“I’ll look for it.”  
They walked to the shop entrance. William held the door and they parted ways. Both felt less alone than they’d felt in years.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Artemis loved her job. One of her favorite parts of her job was failing kids who deserved it. Her classes had excellent grade distributions and everyone knew it. She was the nice teacher, so when she got to fail kids she knew they deserved it and so did all their friends. Grades for the fall were due in 2 days and she was almost done. Then she could go home to Brucely and curl up on the couch.  
“Knock, knock,” chimed Sarah, one of the younger professors in the humanities department, “What are you doing?”  
“Finishing up putting in final grades, what about you?” Artemis responded.  
“Coming to see how that blind date with William went yesterday. Duh. So tell me what happened, he didn’t bail on you right?” Sarah sat down in a chair in Artemis’s office tapping her manicured nails on said chair expectantly waiting to hear the full story of the blind date.  
“It went well, I gave him my number,” Artemis said, still going through student grades.  
“You actually gave him your number? I’m a miracle worker, honestly,” Sarah said, fake flipping her pixie cut. She would’ve asked for more, but she knew that tidbit was probably all she was going to get anyways.  
A thought struck Artemis so she asked, “Hey, how did you know him? He doesn’t seem like someone you would spend time with.”  
“Oh, you remember that conference I went to about the importance of continuing education in juvie and prison systems?”  
“Yeah, is that where you met him?” Artemis asked.   
“No, I met a girl named Keeara there who had worked a few court cases with him. She does something in the court system but I don’t remember what.” Sarah responded. She pulled out a stick of gum and unwrapped it. “You want one?” she asked.  
“No, I’m good. Coffee and gum don’t mix.” Artemis took a sip of her coffee to make the point. She turned back to her grading. “So how did you guys put us together?”  
Sarah snickered, “Easily, I mentioned a girl I worked with hadn’t gotten laid in a year and she said she knew a guy who could use a good bedroom tumble. So, the match was made.” Artemis rolled her eyes at her. Her lack of a sex life was a favorite topic of Sarah’s and she made sure Artemis knew it. Sarah’s phone vibrated so she pulled it out to see what it was. “Ooh, I gotta go. Let me know if you’re coming to my New Year’s party,” she called already out of the room.  
With her gone Artemis did some digging on this Keeara just to be safe. She came up clean. Artemis was more relieved by this than she thought she would be. She was also more excited by the text she received from William a few minutes later than she thought she would be. He wanted to meet up tomorrow.  
They made plans via text, she finished her final grades, and headed home. Brucely was already asleep on the couch, but as soon as she started making food he came to the kitchen for a snack. This was her chance to take the spot on the couch he had already warmed up and turn on the tv to watch local news. She always turned it up a little too loud to make sure it filled the one bedroom apartment. Brucely hopped back up and curled into her.  
Meanwhile thirty minutes away William was finishing up paperwork for a case and letting his thoughts wonder. He was going to see Artemis again. She was magnificent. She had goals and knew how to live in the real world and actually enjoy it. People he grew up with looked at the everyday world like it was a zoo, but she lived in it the way he lived in it. Enjoying the books and waiting in line for coffee. He didn’t feel the need to hide that from her.  
His thoughts were broken by the buzz of his phone. Oliver was calling.  
“Hey Ollie, what’s up?  
“Hey kid, I was thinking about coming up to Boston in the next few days, kinda make a weekend trip. We could talk about your work, or not talk about work. I have a good friend up in Boston maybe you guys could meet.”  
“That sounds great Ollie, I’m finishing up a case right now, so my weekend should be pretty clear. Oh, will Dinah be coming?”  
Oliver was quiet over the phone. William knew Ollie and Dinah were in a rough patch right now, but it sounded like it was getting worse. He felt like it was his fault, but it wasn’t his relationship, so he stayed out of it. “Ollie?”  
“Hey, um, I’ll ask her she’s been busy this week, but we’ll see,” Oliver said, he sounded like he was forcing himself to be positive again.  
“Alright, well I need to get out of the office they lock up in a few minutes, so I’ll call you tomorrow and we can hash out the details.”  
“Sounds great kid, talk to ya tomorrow.” Oliver hung up.  
Getting to know Oliver was actually going really well. Ollie wanted to get to know him. William wished he’d made the effort to reach out sooner, because he’d missed time with a man who was actually an amazing father figure.  
Either way he was getting to know him now and he needed to pack up and go home. He got his files slipped on his jacket and headed for the door.  
“Good night Dev,” he called. Dev was the newest youngest partner at the firm and the kid was going to be a great lawyer.  
“Good night William.” Dev immediately had his head back in a book. As good of a lawyer as he was going to be the kid needed to live a little.  
As he walked to his car someone started following parallel to his left and another a little behind on his right. His car was twenty steps. They did not think this through.   
Most likely they were going to confront him at his vehicle when he attempted to put his belongings in the vehicle. The one on the right was more heavy set than the left, probably why he was staying back. Most people would anticipate him being the greater threat, but the one to the left had a gun on his person. William could hear the faint clink  
He was fifteen steps away. He adjusted his step to walk closer to the man on the right. He would not engage first.  
Ten steps. His bag was clasped so if he dropped it there wouldn’t be a problem with papers flying everywhere. Reorganizing case files was a hassle.   
Five steps.   
“Hello sir,” said the smaller man, “may I ask you something?”  
The smaller man took this moment to catch up, since William had adjusted his step to put the larger man closer to him. William set his bag down on the floor, leaned against his car, and put one foot up against the door. The smaller man looked annoyed by this.  
“Yes sir, what did you want to ask?” he responded.  
“Feeling lucky tonight?” The smaller man pulled out the gun and the larger man frowned at him. Honestly, so many criminals are so unoriginal, William thought.  
“Give us whatever cash you got.” The small man thrust his hand forward.  
“Sir I can tell you right now this is not in your best interest.” William leaned forward slightly his foot still resting on his car.  
The larger man spoke now. “It is in our best interest, we need the cash.”  
“Why do you strapping fellows need the cash?”  
The smaller man spoke loudly appearing frustrated with his larger counterpart, “We just need it alright! Hand it over!” He began waving the gun towards his outstretched hand.  
William took this moment to act. He pushed off of his car with his foot and landed a solid kick to the smaller man’s face sending him to the floor. Small man dropped the gun and it fell into William’s hand. William pulled his raised foot back and aimed the gun at the larger man.   
“Get off the floor,” William huffed. This was really putting a damper on his good mood. While small man was getting up the large man began backing off.   
William pulled the small man the rest of the way up and held the gun to his head. The small man had never turned the safety off, so William didn’t either. “Why do you need the money?”  
“We just lost our jobs alright!” cried the larger man. “We did some thieving in our early twenties so we got a record and the place we worked just closed down.”  
William pushed the small man away. “Look up jobs for felons hub. It’s a website that helps ex-cons get jobs. Also if you’re not prepared to shoot someone don’t pull a gun on them.”  
“Got it,” said the larger man. Small man looked like his ego wound need some mending, but he was listening.  
“Now, I’m going to put my stuff in my car, get in my car, drive through the parking garage entrance and drop the gun there. You make a move, I shoot. “Got it?”  
“Got it,” they said in unison.  
“By the way you’d be better off to pawn the gun.”  
William began putting things in his car and got in. He drove to the entrance and dropped the gun. He called out the window, “Better be gone fast, I’m calling the cops on my way home.” As he started to drive he checked his rearview mirror and saw the two men hurry to grab the gun and run off. He picked up his phone and called Dev to let him know to be careful. He was just a kid after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
Artemis woke up the next day still on the couch with Brucely on top of her. In the past when she fell asleep on the couch someone would either wake her up or just move her. Living by herself was strange. In college her and Wally never lived on campus they got an apartment together to start, when he died her friends were there all the time making sure she was okay, and less than six months after he died she moved in with Will to help with Lian and keep him going after Jade left.  
It was illuminating. Initially coming to Boston she wanted to find a roommate, but that would be too easy for someone to be an assassin or a spy even with background checks. She realized how bad she was at cooking things that didn’t come in a box without help. Figuring out bills, the bus system, finding a vet. She was doing it alone and it felt good. She hadn’t realized how reliant she was on other people.   
She did miss the people though. Lian’s laugh, Will’s groans when he woke up, Violet’s constant excited chatter. She kept up with Violet, but they hadn’t spoken in a while. When they got Brion back Violet went to help him and they seemed happy. She hoped they were really happy.  
Brucely chose that contented moment to rip one of the worst smelling farts she had ever smelled. “Oh my God,” she groaned, pushing Brucely up to get him to wake up, “That was awful, you have to go, good grief.” She immediately stood, turned on a fan, and lit a candle. Brucely was now giving her the cold shoulder for pushing him off. “Look Brucey Buddy, you deserved that one,” Artemis said checking her phone, “Oh, Dinah called last night, I must’ve missed it. I’ll get a shower and call her back.” Artemis headed towards the bathroom to get cleaned up and Brucely reclaimed the couch.  
Luckily Artemis didn’t have classes on Thursdays, so she normally didn’t head for work until noon. She wasn’t meeting William until 6, so she would have time to get a decent amount of work done. After getting cleaned up and starting on breakfast a now refreshed Artemis called her former mentor. Dinah picked up after two rings. “Hey, what’s going on?” Artemis asked.  
“Oh hey Artemis, I was wondering what you were up to this weekend. Ollie and I were wanting to visit and see what you were up to.”  
“This weekend I don’t really have anything. I finished up grades for the semester, so my schedule just became much more flexible. I saw you guys two weeks ago is anything happening?”  
“I think Ollie wants you to meet William,” Dinah sighed gloomily, “Apparently William is excited to meet you.”  
Artemis felt bad about not saying anything to Dinah, but Dinah and Oliver’s relationship had gone through its share of rough patches, and Artemis had never seen one like this. William was causing some issues that weren’t really his to solve.  
“Hey what if we did a girl’s day? Just me and you. We can meet up with Oliver and William for dinner,” Artemis suggested. A girl’s day sounded good and Dinah could probably use the break.  
“That sounds great Artemis, I really appreciate it.” Dinah proceeded to give Artemis more details about the weekend trip and they organized their now upcoming girls day.  
Afterwards Artemis did some cleaning, got dressed, packed a gym bag, and was off to work. Work was somewhat boring. Sarah came and spoke to her a few times. She was wearing a really pretty yellow turtleneck that looked good against her black skin. She got Artemis to commit to her New Year’s Eve party. Before she knew it, it was 5:30 and time to go meet William at the gym.  
She went to her car and headed out. The gym was ten minutes away, but she wanted time to get changed out of her business casual school attire before 6:00. When she got there William pulled up beside her.  
“Hello, beautiful,” William sing-songed as he got out of his car with a gym bag. It gave her pause. It’d been a while since someone started talking to her with a “Hey beautiful”. Like not since Wally.  
“Hello,” Artemis mused back, already heading towards the entrance.  
“What no handsome, astonishing, magnificent for me?” William pouted teasingly, matching her pace up the few steps.  
Artemis laughed. “Maybe next time.”  
“I love having a next time when this time hasn’t even happened yet.”  
“Someone’s sure of himself.”  
“I’ve reaped many rewards for my confident allure.” He smirked at her while getting ahead enough to open the door. She passed through like a breeze.  
The building they entered advertised itself as a gym, but was definitely a Martial arts studio. They had different belts for different martial arts training styles, basic safe-for-home weaponry, and a list of rules regarding what was allowed in and out of the ring. The building opened up to a main lobby with two hallways. Signs pointed guests towards locker rooms, restrooms, and which rooms were available or had classes in them. Artemis had never realized this place existed.  
William asked, “Have you been here before?”  
“Nope. I assume I can just follow the signs to the locker room and meet back here when we’re ready?”  
“Sounds good! I’ll see you in ten fifteen minutes.” The two parted ways to get dressed.  
William’s anticipation was killing him. He grew up sparring. Did it every day for decades. This gym was built for boxing, taekwondo, and other martial arts, so he had people to spar against, but no one that really challenged him. Most people there called him the reigning champion, because he had never been beat. Today that might change.  
He changed into some breathable black joggers, gray tennis shoes, and a blue tank top, made sure his hands were wrapped well, and headed back to their meet up point. Artemis was already waiting for him in .  
“You’re slow, maybe this match won’t be as interesting as I thought.” She stood and swaggered over to him.  
“Slow and steady wins the race.” William began walking towards the sparring area. “This way.”  
They went down the hallway that was to the left when you come in to an open room with blue mats placed about. There were two other sparring partners there, but the room was built for three matches to be happening at the same time, so they were free to use it.  
They dropped their bags and began stretching out.  
“So,” Artemis started, “what are the rules of our sparring? Any specific art we want to use? No overhead throws?”  
William shrugged. “Honestly I’d love to mix skills. The gym does have rules about chokeholds and if there’s blood we have to stop the fight. I would say no breaking bones or avoid possible long term injury.”  
“Okay,” Artemis replied, having finished her stretching and, “Let’s see what you’ve got.” She stood and walked towards the center of their sparring area turning to face him once she was there. The two other partners knew William’s reputation and were casting curious glances their way. William took his place mirroring Artemis getting into a solid stance with his right foot forward. “Alright,” he breathed, “let’s go.”  
William started strong with right hook. Artemis ducked, sliding behind him, and delivered a blow with her elbow to his lower back. She moved away from him staying on her toes. She was faster than he thought, and he was stronger than she thought. Others in the room initially casting curious glances were now blatantly watching the two.  
The two danced around each other for a moment. Artemis took the first move. She went low with a series of fast jabs and upper cuts. William was able to get inside her stance and move them to floor to pin her. She quickly got herself out and had him pinned. He couldn’t get himself out.   
The two went on like this. Him getting in some good moves, her retaliating, her getting in some good moves, him retaliating. They hadn’t noticed that an hour had passed while they sparred. A shrieking whistle came from the door when William was helping her up after he pinned her. They both looked over to find a crowd of 20 people in and around the doorway. The whistle came from a teacher at the gym.  
“Looks like you finally met your match William!” he called. Everyone began cheering. Artemis and William both laughed. “You two should take a break you’ve been at it an hour.”  
“He has a point,” William said, stretching his arms out wide, “how about we shower off and get dinner?”  
“Sounds good,” Artemis replied, “you’re paying. ”  
“Excellent, I know a Thai place where I can get my last hole punched and get ten dollars off a meal,” William exclaimed.  
“Aren’t you a lawyer?” Artemis replied somewhat confused.  
“Yes, but the owner has great appreciation for returning customers who use the deals wisely,” William replied matter-of-factly.  
“Ok, let’s go.”  
The crowd began to disperse as Artemis and William grabbed their things. The teacher approached them before they made it to the door.  
“I’ve never seen anyone come close to matching William’s skill level. Who’d you train with?” he asked.  
“Professionals.” Artemis walked forward leaving the teacher stunned. William laughed and followed after her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
The Thai place was delectable. It had a cozy atmosphere without making guests feel like they were on top of each other. And the food was authentic Thai which is actually pretty hard to find in Boston. Gotham had everything under the sun, so when she realized that not every metropolitan city had good restaurants it had been a bit of a shock. This was the best Thai she’d had outside of Gotham.  
“You haven’t talked in five minutes, I’m guessing you like it,” William said in between bites of pad Thai, “Big fan?”  
“The one good thing about Gotham is every kind of person ends up there for something, so we get a lot of authentic food. In Star city I found a few good places here and there, but they’re kinda hard to find. Bahn Mi Ba Le is the best for Vietnamese I’ve found in Boston. The pho tastes the most like my mom’s. God this is good.” Artemis enunciated this by inhaling in another heaping mouthful.  
“Ha, I don’t remember my mom cooking for me once in my life, though she did give me a love for cheap sushi” William responded, taking a sip of his drink, “Oliver has brought me his chili once. It was spicy and not great.”  
“Yeah, Dinah misplaced his ingredients at one point, but he just got more,” Artemis said, air-quoting the word misplaced, “you get used to it after a while. Oh, did he call you about visiting for the weekend? Apparently he is excited for me to meet you. Dinah called me to let me know we’re going to do a girl’s day.”   
Dinah coming was news to William. “Oliver didn’t tell me she was coming.”  
Artemis paused. “You talk to Dinah much?”   
William put down his utensils and took a breath. “I don’t know much about Dinah and Oliver’s relationship, but it seemed pretty good, and then she met me and since then it’s seemed to go down-hill. I haven’t talked to her much.”  
“I think you are a problem that we all knew would come eventually that they chose to blissfully ignore.”  
“Well that makes me feel better,” William replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.  
“It’s not whatever you think it is,” Artemis responded, “Oliver spent years sleeping with lots of women and God only knows how safe he was in the process. Basically, finding out that Oliver has an adult son was not unexpected, nor does anyone think you are the only undiscovered child Oliver Queen has, but you easily come with the most complicated backstory.”  
“Ah, so his years of being a playboy are finally coming back to bite him and I am the catalyst.”  
“Pretty much,” Artemis sighed, “what made you want to reach out to him anyways? I mean it sounds like you came and did school and kinda had a settled life, so why reach out now?”   
“My mom finally told me who he was. Simple as that.” William took a sip of water and took a deep breath. “It was my first year as a new partner at the firm I worked at before this one. Before that she always made my father sound like some random guy who ditched her, but apparently her and Oliver had a run in before he was Green Arrow right as she was getting into the life. By the time she’d realized she was pregnant Oliver had disappeared at sea.”  
“Wow, that’s some messed up timing.”  
“Yeah. I still wonder why she told me sometimes.”  
“My mom gave me some things before she died. Stuff I never knew existed. About her, about our family. Secrets weigh on you and they get heavier with time. Maybe it just finally got too heavy,” Artemis reassured.  
“Yeah, maybe.”  
“Well I need to get home my dog will be waiting.” Artemis began to stand and gather her things. “I’ll cover tip if you pay the bill,” she offered.  
“Sure, I’ll walk you out.”  
As William was paying the check at the counter Artemis gathered the last of her things and left ten dollars. If there was anything she wasn’t stingy on it was tips. In a college area, people could use the tips from people who weren’t college students. She met him at the door.  
“Ready?” he asked, preparing to open the door.  
“Ready.” Artemis replied.  
They walked to their cars quietly, taking in the cars on the road and the honking at the red light with small smiles.   
As they reached Artemis’s car they paused so she could put her stuff in the passenger seat. William waited for her leaning on his car parked to the left of hers.  
“So I guess we get to surprise some friends soon. Do we want to plan that?” he asked.  
“I say we wing it. I’m not super concerned and they’ll probably think it’s funny.” Artemis remarked coming to stand opposite to him leaning on the driver’s side of her car.  
“Well I guess I’ll see you Saturday.” William drew closer to her taking a step forward. Artemis took a step forward as well. She leaned in, cupped a hand to his face, and kissed him on the cheek for one, two, three seconds before moving backwards.   
“See you Saturday.” She got in her car with a blush and a smile and drove away. William felt like he was glowing as he got in the driver’s side of his car. Neither of their smiles would disappear until they fell asleep that night.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
Artemis started out of bed Saturday to angry knocking on her door. Brucely was happily yipping at the door as Artemis approached in only a tank top and underwear. When she opened the door she was not surprised to find Dinah huffing in front of her.   
“What time is it?” Artemis asked, “It’s not even light out.”  
“Time for you to shower while I make coffee then we can talk.” Dinah walked in, and past her small couch to put her bag on Artemis’s small island. Dinah pulled out her own coffee grounds and began rummaging through the drawers for things.  
“Make yourself at home,” Artemis muttered, leaving to go get a shower. Brucely happily followed Dinah around the kitchen hoping for pets.  
When she came out in a robe Dinah had already poured both their coffees and was eating some of Artemis’s cereal. It looked like Cheerios which Artemis didn’t actually like and couldn’t remember why she’d bought them, so that was fine. Brucely was asleep on the couch in his favorite spot.  
“So, you’re here earlier than expected.” Artemis took a seat on one of her three stools across the island from Dinah.  
The older woman looked at Artemis as though she’d interrupted her understanding of the meaning of life through Cheerios. Dinah swallowed, her eyes never leaving Artemis who picked up her coffee to take a sip.  
“I needed to get a break from Oliver,” Dinah replied shortly, “honestly right now I feel like I can’t get enough breaks from him.”  
“Oh, and why’s that?” Artemis asked. She had no intention of offering any real advice. Dinah needed to blow off steam, so she would just nod until Dinah felt better, besides the sun still wasn’t up and she still had no idea what time it was.  
“I’m tired of raising his children.” Dinah ate another spoonful of cereal.  
Artemis put down her coffee and waited for more of an explanation. Dinah proceeded to eat another spoonful of Cheerios.   
“Dinah, you gotta give me more than that. I’m a lotta lost here.”  
“I have helped train Will, Roy, you, and Cissie as well as the rest of the team. Now Oliver wants me to get along with his actual adult son. When will I train the next Black Canary and not the next bow wielding hero?” An exasperated Dinah ate the last spoonful of Cheerios in her bowl leaving a thin layer of milk behind.  
“Well, I for one have never met anyone with your ability besides you, Dinah.”  
“My mother had my ability,” Dinah added wistfully, somberly, “I thought my kid would.” Dinah tipped the cereal bowl to her mouth and drink the last bit of milk. Artemis was starting to get it.  
“You thought you’d have a kid of your own to train.” Artemis nodded at the understanding. Plenty of superheroes had kids. In more recent years it seemed a new kid was arriving every few months. Dinah put her elbow on the island and her face in her hand.  
“I turn 40 in a month,” Dinah said, her eyes beginning to tear up, “Anytime, Oliver and I start considering really trying something comes up. And it’s not like we don’t have kids, Cissie is doing great in soccer and I haven’t missed a game yet. Oliver even has biological kids. I just.” Dinah faltered for words at that moment. “I just want someone like me. Someone who sees me as their first mother, not just another positive female role model. Who I get to raise, teach to ride a bike, go to little league games and stuff. Not just how to fight people and handle teenage relationships. I want all the little stuff I didn’t get with you guys.”   
Artemis knew what she meant. When she helped raise Lian the kid learned and grew so fast it astonished her. The first time she tried ice cream and was able to fully feed herself felt like yesterday, but they were such massive milestones. The kinds of milestones Dinah hadn’t experienced with a kid yet.  
“Maybe you guys should stop waiting for the right time. Just go for it. I mean, when you took in me, Roy, and Cissie it wasn’t exactly great timing, but you did it. Plus-” Artemis made eye contact with Dinah- “you’re a great mother.”  
“Maybe,” Dinah said, seeming to ponder Artemis’s statement. “Thanks for answering the door. And thank you for saying that. We should really go back to bed it’s like 2 am.”  
“What?!?!”  
Sixteen hours later Artemis and Dinah were at Bostonia Public House meeting up with Oliver and William. Dinah had been quiet throughout the day, but Artemis figured she had a lot on her mind and left her to it. Oliver coming towards the two women with his arms outstretched broke them away from their thoughts.  
“My girls!” he announced gleefully, wrapping them both in a hug, “Our table is this way, come on.” Oliver released them from the hug and took hold of Dinah’s hand to lead them to a booth near the back of the restaurant. “I wish Cissie could have come, but she is really loving her class trip to Europe. Did you guys get the pictures?”  
“Yes Ollie, we got the pictures, we’re all in the same group chat.” Artemis reminded him. As he approached the booth William slid out wearing plain black slacks and a blue button-up rolled up at the sleeves. Artemis walked right up, threw her arms around his neck, and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Hey William,” she said, turning back to face Oliver and Dinah. William chuckled, “Hello Artemis.” Leaving his arm around her waist.  
Oliver and Dinah had the same look of disbelief on their face.  
“We forgot to tell you. Some mutual friends of ours set us up on a blind date.” Artemis sat down and scooched to the inner corner of the booth. William sat down on the outer edge. Oliver guffawed and sat down still chuckling. Dinah followed his lead still dumbfounded.  
“So, I’m guessing it went well,” Dinah said slowly still in disbelief.  
“Yeah, I think it did,” William said, “after I had a minor panic attack thinking she was an assassin sent to kill me.” Oliver seemed confused, but still enjoying the tale being told.  
“I realized who he was before he realized who I was, so I had a leg up on him for a bit.” Artemis looked through the menu.  
“Well,” Oliver said, “I am hungry and excited to hear more about this blind date, so let’s order and have fun.”   
Oliver took Dinah’s hand and they all began discussing the menu. Artemis knew those two would be just fine.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
“Hello sleepy head.”   
Artemis sprang out of bed socking whoever was just above her in the jaw on her way up. As soon as her feet hit the ground the intruder got a front kick to the rib cage. Snap. That was one rib broken.   
“Artemis, stop!” yelled Zatanna from the floor.   
Artemis stopped moving. “Why did you do that, why are you at my apartment, and why do you look like that?” Artemis asked exasperated.  
“Well, I wanted to surprise you since I knew you would be done with school, but apparently that was misguided. Give me a sec to heal these.”   
Artemis went to get dressed. Dinner two days before had gone well. They all agreed to do it again. William actually texted her yesterday about getting together and going to see a play and look at Christmas lights. She wasn’t entirely certain where their relationship was going, but she figured she’d enjoy it a bit more before finding out. Now she just had to keep said relationship as far away from Zatanna as possible.  
With Artemis dressed in jeans and a turtle-neck she now turned to Zatanna to explain why she was dressed as the man from posters reading “Stranger Danger” long coat, fedora and all.  
“So do you wanna explain now or what?” Artemis asked as Zatanna rose from the floor.  
“The look is called purposefully suspicious for a mission like forty-five minutes away and I surprised you like that, because that is what I do to M’gann, but she laughs and you punch people. Note taken.”  
Artemis began heading for the kitchen. “Hungry?”  
“Absolutely. What are you making?”  
“Cereal.”  
“Gotcha, gotcha. So do you have holiday plans?”  
“There’s always a catch to you guy’s visits.” Artemis got out bowls, milk, cereal, and spoons while Zatanna made herself comfortable at the island.   
“You never come to gatherings anymore. We just want to see more of you.”  
“Well you guys cancel plans like no tomorrow and I already have a New Year’s party I’m attending that Sarah’s hosting.” Artemis poured her coffee. “Besides, I’m no longer part of the team and was never part of the league, so it doesn’t make sense for me to attend.”  
“Artemis,” Zatanna huffed, “you still have friends on both the team and the league. People miss you.”  
“And I miss them Z, but I try to make time for you guys and I keep getting blown off. I even made time at two in the morning so I could see you guys, but I am trying to move away from this and it’s hard when your friends are still in it.”  
Zatanna finished her cereal and checked her watch. “I have a league meeting in five. Can we talk later?”  
Artemis laughed through her nose while beginning to clean up, “Sure Z. Later.”  
Zatanna seemed upset that nothing really got accomplished or talked about with the visit, but duty called and would keep calling. She got up and pausing at the door left the apartment. At the same time, Artemis got a text from Sarah about going to a museum opening downtown. Artemis did miss her super friends, but right now they all seemed unsure of the best way to move forward and maintain their friendship while maintaining certain boundaries.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
After Artemis and Sarah went to the museum they went to grab a snack at Starbucks.  
“So,” Sarah drew out, “how is William?” She began putting sugars and creamers in her coffee trying to act nonchalant and doing a poor job of it.  
“He is good, we are going on another date.”  
Sarah stopped mixing her now off-white coffee. She looked Artemis straight in the eye grinning ear to ear. “You have never gone on a second date as long as I have known you. Is he magic?”  
“No, but we realized we have more in common than we thought.”  
“Like what?” Sarah pressed.  
“Like complicated families we don’t talk to.”  
“Oof, you guys hit hard stuff on that first date.” Sarah seemed impressed.   
“Yeah,” Artemis replied, “it was good though. He’s taking me to see a play and we may go look at Christmas lights somewhere.”  
Sarah was definitely struggling to stay composed about this, but Artemis rarely gave out personal details and she never gushed over anything, so Sarah was holding back. She’d never even been to her apartment.  
“Well when are you guys meeting?”  
“Around six, it’s half past five now, so I can just leave from here and meet him. I better go.” Artemis started getting up and gathering her things.  
“Hey, you should invite him to my party! It’s not gonna get as wild this year I’m inviting more staff, so I need it to be a little more sophisticated.”  
Artemis laughed, “Trying to break Dr.Aziz’s party girl impression of you?”  
Sarah shrugged and grumbled, “Maybe. Just ask him okay.”  
“Okay, I’ll see you later.” Artemis was out the door.  
Once Artemis was out of sight Sarah began doing a little happy dance. She didn’t know Artemis’s history, but she could tell the girl had trust issues and didn’t open up to anyone. It could hurt sometimes, but Artemis made time for her, and she knew they could get there, so she kept trying.  
Later that day Artemis couldn’t stop smiling as she left the play with William. “That was a very cute Christmas play. Though I didn’t realize it was going to be a children’s production at a church.”  
“Thank you,” he laughed, “My boss’s granddaughter was in it and he invited everyone at the office to come see. Figured I’d earn some brownie points.”  
“The little one playing Mary reminded me of my niece.” Artemis’s thoughts stopped. She’d mentioned Lian so casually. She remembered the child’s smile. It had been awhile since she remembered Lian happy. Her throat got tight, but the tears didn’t come this time. It was refreshing.  
“Oliver told me she was killed,” William said in a low voice, “what was your favorite thing about her?”  
“She was fearless. Not in the valiant, dramatic way, but in the “does dumb stuff to see what’ll happen kinda way”.”  
“Everyone has to have one of those at some point,” William chuckled, “I should head out. I have double court appearances tomorrow.”  
“Okay. We should get together again. I’ll call you.”  
“Okay, cool. Have a good night Artemis.” William began heading for his car.  
“Oh William,” Artemis called, trying not to be too loud, “Would you want to go to a New Year’s Eve party?”  
William lit up. “Absolutely.”  
As Artemis got in her car she texted Sarah to let her know she would be bringing a guest to the party. Across town Sarah began leaping for joy and patting herself on the back for her matchmaking skills.  
The next two weeks were blissful. Artemis went on a few more dates with William chatting and laughing. She went to visit Dinah, Oliver, and visited with M’gann and others from the team in Happy Harbor. That was a little frustrating considering Artemis had no interest in the missions, but overall it was nice to hear about relationships and jobs. Now she was home, and getting ready to head to the New Year’s Eve party Sarah was throwing. Artemis had picked out 3 dresses and was on a video call with Sarah to pick one out.  
“Okay I have three dresses: blue, dark red, and black. What do you think?”  
“Ooh, wait, William is still coming with you right?”  
“Yeah he is, but I don’t know what he’s wearing.”  
“Hmm, okay, I would say no to black just because it’s New Year’s not a funeral. The blue looks kinda formal and I do want this to be more casual, so my vote is red. Try it on for me, so I get the full effect.”  
“Okay, one sec.” Artemis flipped her phone camera down so she could change in private. The red dress she had was a cocktail dress made with satin. It had spaghetti straps, a plunging V neckline, and an open back that was snug until it hit her waist. Then it flared and hit her lower thigh. Once it was on she flipped her phone and showed Sarah.  
“What do you think? Too much?”  
“Girl you look hot. Since I did invite coworkers you may want to wear a jacket or something, but William will be all over it.”  
Artemis felt herself blush. Her and William hadn’t even had a real kiss yet, so she doubted they would go that far tonight. Plus they still hadn’t quite figured out how they wanted their relationship to go. Once they committed things would get complicated and they were both enjoying their current relaxed state of affairs.  
“Maybe, either way it looks good and I need to go pick him up. See you in an hour.”   
“Bye!”  
Artemis went out to her car and buckled up. William was about twenty minutes away getting ready. Artemis told him it was casual, but still a Harvard faculty casual, so he figured a little dressy would be alright.  
He wore black slacks and tucked in a white shirt with small green dots on it. He put on some green suede shoes that he loved, but rarely had the occasion to wear. His short hair was lightly gelled back and he had just gotten his beard trimmed. He used a bit of concealer on some under eye bags that just would not go away and gave himself his best award winning smile in the mirror. He felt snazzy. He picked up a black leather jacket, locked his door and went to meet Artemis in the parking garage.  
She stepped out of her car looking like a devil he would gladly follow to hell. He was going to tell her just that, but his mouth just opened and closed twice before he began to approach her. She was wearing a black leather jacket, a beautiful red dress, and stilettoes.   
“Gorgeous.”  
“Well thank you,” Artemis replied, laughing at his inability to speak.  
At that moment William put his hands on her hips and drew her closer to him a step away from her car. He began to lean in.  
“Can I let you know how I see you right now?” William whispered his eyes gravitating to her lips.  
Artemis lifted her hands to his neck and face. “Tell me,” she whispered.  
Their lips met softly. William wrapped his arms more fully around Artemis’s waist as Artemis wrapped her arms around his neck. They stood their letting themselves feel the push and pull of the kiss.  
Artemis broke off first.  
“We have a party to get to.” She didn’t move.  
“We do.” William made no move to let go.  
“Hey kids get a room! I know he’s got one.” Someone hollered as they drove by. It appeared to be an elderly woman.  
“And that would be my landlady. She’s been trying to set me up with her son,” William sighed pulling back.  
Artemis laughed. “Hop in, we have places to be.”  
The car ride started quietly. Artemis didn’t want to turn the music on. She was enjoying the moment.  
“So I guess this is real.” William looked at Artemis scared she would decide to walk away.  
“I guess so.” Artemis glanced at him. He looked like the sun had just come out on a rainy day. A mixture of content and relieved.  
“How should we tell people? He asked.  
“Why don’t we start by going to a holiday party, and you can kiss me again when the clock strikes twelve. I think my coworkers will get the idea.” Artemis grinned at the thought.  
William smiled at her, “Sounds like a good start.”  
The party went well. When people asked who William was Artemis replied he was her significant other and current date. Sarah was wearing the most silver, sparkly dress Artemis had ever seen and she could not look more proud.  
“You two are adorable!” Sarah drunkenly whispered to Artemis around eleven thirty. “You better kiss him.”  
Artemis snickered. “That is the plan. Who will you be kissing?”  
Sarah’s eyes gleamed. “I invited that cute librarian, Taylor. She is so cute.”  
Artemis knew just the one and was glad Sarah finally asked her out she’d been talking about doing it for a month now.  
“Well it’s five ‘til. Better find your date.” Sarah pranced away to find Taylor as William came up behind Artemis.  
“Ready for the beginning of something new?” he asked.  
The question felt like it should mean more to Artemis. A new year, a new relationship, and maybe the beginning of remembering loved ones with happy faces rather than their tired, pale, sick ones. Yes, she was ready for something new. She smiled at him.  
The crowd began to chant, “Ten, nine, eight,” Artemis turned so William was facing her and hugging her. “Seven, six, five,” William touched their noses together. “Four, three, two.” Artemis and William never heard the one. They were in their own new world.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
Around one, Artemis and William said their good-bye’s to an ecstatic Sarah and headed for Artemis’s car.  
“That was a good night.” William buckled himself in and turned to look at Artemis.  
“It was a good night. I’m glad we went.” Artemis smiled over at him and got on the road.  
“So, would you like to come in for a bit? We might should talk about things, or we can meet up later if you’re especially tired.” William was being bashful which was not a word she normally associated with Queens, but it was nice to know that he was as nervous as she was feeling.  
“Sounds good to me.” Artemis drove for a bit in the quiet and eventually pulled into his parking garage for the second time that night. As they got up to his apartment it started to rain.  
His apartment was definitely nicer than hers. A two bedroom, two bath with new stainless steel appliances and furniture that actually coordinated.  
“You like the apartment?” William jested, heading to the kitchen to pour them some drinks.  
“It’s nicer than mine, and most of my furniture I got gifted from different people and I’d feel bad getting rid of it. That’s why I have rustic chic barstools and a flower embroidered couch.” Artemis sat down on the island in his kitchen.  
William looked slightly annoyed. “Speaking of furniture, I have chairs for a reason you know.”  
Artemis slipped off the counter and sat on one of his tall cushioned chairs. “Didn’t realize you had such a good relationship with your counter.” Artemis smirked at him.  
William huffed. “It’s not that I don’t like seeing you there, but I do like to keep things in good condition. I spent a lot of time when I was younger in old, dusty safe houses with broken chairs and chipping paint. Now I have nice things, so I like to treat them well.”   
“Fair enough.” Artemis took the tea he handed her. “What kind?”  
“Chamomile. Sweet and simple.”  
They booth took a sip waiting for the other to start the looming conversation.  
“I think-”, “Who should-” Artemis and William spoke at the same time. They laughed together for a moment before Artemis spoke.  
“I think Oliver should know first. He’s a pretty big part of both of our lives and he knows we went on a date, but I don’t know if he realizes we’ve continued to see each other.”  
“That’s fair.” William walked around the island to sit beside her. “People at your job already know, so that’s taken care of, I guess. If people at my job ask I can say we’re exclusive. People at my gym probably already got the hint.”  
Artemis felt warm remembering their date. She hugged her tea closer.  
“I don’t have social media, what about you?”  
William snorted and said, “Would I have been raised a good assassin if I had social media?”  
Artemis chuckled, “No, but I figured I’d ask. Another thing,” Artemis paused here wanting to phrase her thoughts well, “how casual or serious is this?” Artemis liked William a lot. A lot more than she’d liked someone in a long time, but she’d only been in one relationship, so this was new territory.  
William seemed unsure of himself for a moment. He had never been in an adult relationship, so he didn’t know what to do either. “Honestly, I’ve never really had an adult relationship, so, ugh.” William opened and closed his mouth a few times before continuing. “I like you, and I could see us in the future together. I guess we just have to get there.”  
Artemis swiveled in her chair to face him directly. The chair didn’t creak at all. He really did take good care of his things. “I like that. But I have reservations. The first being your mother.”  
At the mention of his mother, William sighed and his shoulders sagged. “My mother will probably know about us, and show up, before I ever tell her anything. Right now I sporadically write to her at a P.O box, but she hardly ever responds. She may pop up sooner rather than later.”  
William really didn’t know how to handle his mother in this situation. His friends would always plan a date for the partner-parent meeting, but he would not have that luxury.  
Artemis interrupted his thoughts. “My sister may do the same. I haven’t heard from her in well over a year, but it sounds like they have similar styles.” Artemis wanted to reassure him that she knew family would be complicated for the both of them. “If you can try to handle mine I can try to handle yours. Besides, I am a full grown adult, so her approval is not important.”  
“Thank you. My mother barely approves of me at this point, so she probably won’t like you just because she didn’t pick you for me.” William’s shoulders relaxed rather than sagged into the chair he was currently in. “I worry that our family may force our relationship to move more quickly than we want it to.”   
Artemis recognized his concern. “I think they may force us to be very honest with each other, but I think we can handle our families.”  
William finally swiveled his chair to look directly at Artemis. “You had another reservation,” William said suggesting she move forward with her list of concerns.  
“When it comes to meeting friends part of my concern is how much the league knows about you and how much you want to get to know others on the league and on the team. I keep in contact with them and we’re still good friends, so my concern is where you feel comfortable with people learning and knowing about you?”  
William stood up at that. “Can I take your mug? We can move to the couch, because that is a long answer.”  
Artemis slipped off the chair and headed to the couch a few yards away. Once she was seated she slipped off her shoes and pulled her feet underneath herself. William grabbed a blanket off an ottoman and offered it to her.  
“Thanks.” Artemis unfolded the soft blanket as William sat down and slipped out of his shoes.  
“The league knows pretty much what I have told them and what they know of my life since joining the everyday world. People have mentioned me joining or giving information, but I want nothing to do with the league. As far as meeting your friends within the hero world. I’d be open to it as long as I am not constantly hearing about missions, or league gossip. I don’t want to know anything that could put me in dangerous situations, and I think that would be my main concern with meeting your friends.”  
“Those are fair concerns. I hear less and less about the league every time I see them. They know I don’t want to be involved, and we are working on it. It can be hard to be friends with people who spend all their extra time fighting in back alleys, but we’re adjusting. Slowly, but adjusting. I will say just knowing people in any capacity that work with the league can be dangerous.”  
“I know, just because of my parents there will always be some risk to me, but I just don’t want people to start thinking I’m working with them. It will complicate my life and I am enjoying my simple life where I have time to care about beautiful women sitting on my countertops.”  
Artemis smiled, “You are very good at giving compliments.”  
William smiled back, “According to a ten minute online quiz my love language is words of affirmation. Do you know what yours is?”  
“It’s been a while since I’ve taken it, but I think quality time.”  
“Like right now! Speaking of, it is almost 2:30 in the morning, I am sleepy, and the rain has not stopped. Would you like to stay over? I can take the couch and I’m sure I have something you can sleep in.”  
Artemis glanced at her phone and he was right it was getting late. “Sure, but I can take the couch. I appreciate chivalry, but I tend to wake up early, so I may be up before you.”  
“Ah, the little things that never go away. I still have weapons hidden throughout the apartment.”  
“Me too, but if anyone asks I just keep a baseball bat in my bedroom. They’ll think I’m paranoid.”  
“Old habits die hard.” William stood. “I’ll grab you a T-shirt and some shorts. I have sheets that can go on the couch, so I’ll do that while you change.”  
As William headed to his bedroom Artemis took a moment to really look at the walls. He had a few paintings up of nature scenes, but none of himself. Nothing here really let you in on his personality. She wasn’t sure if that was on purpose or not.  
She lost her train of thought as William re-entered the room. “Here you go, one large Red Sox T-shirt and plaid pajama pants. The bathroom is back the way I came first door on the left.  
“Thanks.” Artemis stood, took the clothes, and went to get dressed. The bathroom was cozy and yellow. The shower curtain, the walls, even the hand soap. Apparently his personality came out in bathroom décor. When she was dressed and came back out he had put sheets on the couch.  
William snickered as she came out. “I don’t know what I’d call this look, but you remind me of a kid trying to wear her dad’s clothes.”  
Artemis raised an eyebrow. “So should I start looking to you as a father figure?”  
William got the message. “No.”  
“I didn’t think so.” Artemis approached him and put her arms around his waist and he did the same.  
Artemis placed a light kiss on his lips. “Good night, William.”  
“Good night, Artemis.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
Artemis awoke the next day and started the kettle to make tea. She grabbed her clothes from the night before and went to get dressed. When she came out William was pouring the water over teabags in two yellow mugs.  
“I didn’t expect you to be up yet.” Artemis took a mug.  
“I heard you get up, so I came out,” William said.  
They both stood sipping their tea. “I need to go ahead and head out.” Artemis lifted the bag in her hands.  
William took her hand. “I can walk you out, and don’t worry about the mug. I’m sure you’ll get it back to me.”  
William walked her down to her car as his land lady opened the door to her apartment. “I knew you two would get a room. Old people always know.” She shut the door with a proud, smug look on her face. Artemis laughed.  
When they reached her car she gave William a kiss good bye. William watched her go and headed back to his apartment. He knew something was off the moment he entered.   
His mother was standing at his counter holding a dark purple mug with yellow flowers on it. He didn’t particularly like that mug. A former coworker had given it to him as a gift, he’d gotten along with her and had never gotten many gifts, so he kept it. It was his and he wanted her to put it down.  
“Hello mother. How long have you been here?” William approached slowly sitting on a stool to face her with the island between them.  
“I was surprised to see you walking a girl out. I took my people off you almost a year ago and it seems I was wrong to do so.” She took a sip from the mug and switched it to her other hand. “Who is she?”  
“She,” William emphasized, “is college educated, and not looking for a fight.”  
Shiva sneered, “So she isn’t a passing fancy. If she were you wouldn’t bother to tell me about her.”  
“Are you passing at your fancy, Mother? Or should I expect you for dinner Saturday?”  
His mother’s expression soured. “I am still your mother. Do not speak to me so disdainfully.”  
William sighed, “Mother. I don’t know why you’re here. You don’t see me. I send you letters you that you don’t respond to. You don’t like how I’m living. What are you here for?” William stood and walked over to his mother standing nearly a foot away with his arms crossed.   
Shiva set the mug on the counter. “I miss seeing you.”  
If William thought those were the words that would be coming out of his mother’s mouth he would have told himself he was dreaming. “I miss you too Mom.” William relaxed against the counter. “It’s hard to be around you though.”  
“I know things are complicated. I’ll write more I suppose. And I’ll be looking into that girl.” Shiva began to walk towards the door.  
“Come to me with what you find Mom. I probably already know,” William called, picking up the mug and turning to watch her leave.  
Shiva turned to look back at her son. “We’ll see.” She opened the door walked out leaving it open.  
William then had to walk to the door and close it. Why villains and heroes felt the need to make dramatic exits he would never understand. Twenty minutes away Artemis walked in on a different situation.  
Dick Grayson was asleep on the couch with Brucely. Brucely being asleep on the couch was nothing new, but why Dick was at her place was a different story. Artemis walked to the couch and knelt down to begin gently waking Dick up. “Hey sleepyhead. Time to get up.”  
Dick yawned, “Hey bedhead, where have you been?”  
“I slept over at my date’s place. What are you doing here?”  
Dick shot up on the couch revealing his black slacks, wrinkled button up, and blue socks while sending Brucely to the floor. Brucely gave him an annoyed look and huffed to Artemis’s room most likely to fall asleep on her bed. “You had a date!”  
“Yeah I did. And I will be seeing him again, but you get nothing more until you tell me why you’re here.”  
Dick set his feet on the floor to make room for Artemis to sit. “I proposed to Barbara.”  
Artemis didn’t say a word. “I assume it didn’t go as planned considering you’re on my couch.”  
“Well, I was tipsy. Did it in front of the entire league. And didn’t actually have the ring on me.”  
“You didn’t lose that ring did you? It took us a month to find a good one.”  
“No I didn’t lose it. It’s just I was planning to propose like a year and a half ago, but then she got her legs back and we had to get her better and through therapy. It’s just been a lot and I’m ready, but I feel like I screwed up. I mean will she think it’s all a joke now? Plus she just ran off.” Dick looked at Artemis hoping for an answer.  
“I don’t think she’ll think it’s a joke, but you better prepare one hell of a proposal if you want to make up that night to her. And she was probably really embarrassed. I would have said no too. Nobody wants a drunken proposal without a ring.” Artemis stood to go see what she had for breakfast. “How did you get here by the way?”  
“Used a zeta tube and a taxi.”  
“Well I will make you breakfast, but you need to explain why you came here and tell me what you are going to say to Babs.”  
“Fair,” Dick stood and went to sit at her breakfast table. Artemis pulled out eggs, some spices, mushrooms, and spinach.   
“Hope you like omelettes.” Artemis pulled out a pan and a bowl.  
“I do. I came here because I needed a girl’s advice. I’ve dated Zatanna and Raquel, so they were out. I needed to talk to someone who wasn’t a teenager. M’gann is great, but she does have a tendency to talk to the girls about everything and I want to keep this quiet and you take that seriously. Plus you’re you.” Dick smiled after that last comment which brought a smile to Artemis’s face.  
“You always were a charmer. Now what do you think Babs will think when you go home?”  
“She’ll probably ask me where I was. I can say I slept on your couch which she’ll be cool with.”  
“Okay.” Artemis pulled a spatula out of her utensil drawer and pointed it at Dick. “Now explain to me why you did what you did last night.”  
Dick sighed. Artemis smirked. She could feel his embarrassment.  
“I was excited and having a good time. New Year’s has always been a good time for us and I guess I was riding the high. I thought about how happy I was and I was like what could make it better? Barbara.”  
“Ha, so then your drunk brain took over?”  
“I guess.” Dick threw his hands up.  
Artemis took a moment to turn her omelette and move the first one to a plate. “Here. Eat up then head home.”  
“Wait, I thought I was going to hear more about this date of yours.”  
Artemis huffed at him, “What do you want to know?”  
“Well who is he? How did you meet? Criminal record? The important stuff. You don’t like me doing back ground checks on everyone all the time, so I have to get this from you.”  
Artemis side-eyed him. “He is a criminal defense attorney. We met on a blind date and his name is William Wu.”  
“Wait, as in Oliver’s son William Wu.”  
“Yes.” Artemis slipped her second omelette onto a plate and went to sit by Dick who was already finished.  
Dick’s shoulders had straightened and he was looking at her intently. “Are you sure about that?”  
Artemis glared at Dick. “Right now, yes. We met outside of the league and actually clicked, so I know it’s not just adrenaline or whatever. Plus it’s nice to relate to someone with a similar family history.”  
Dick had learned Artemis didn’t like other people’s opinion on these matters, so he was quiet.  
“What are you thinking Dick?” Artemis picked up a fork and took a bite of her breakfast.   
Dick took a breath before speaking, “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”  
“I appreciate that, but I need to see where this goes. It’s kinda nice to try something really new.”  
“Okay boss, you’re in charge.” Dick leaned back and smiled at her. “But just know I’m here.”  
Artemis smiled taking the last bite of her omelette. “Thank you. Also you should head out. It’s almost eight, and you have some explaining to do.”  
Dick stood and gathered himself. “You’re right, and you’re the best. Bye.” Dick leaned over, kissed her cheek, then headed out the-  
“DOOR!” Artemis called. Dick back tracked the few steps he’d made it out of her apartment, sheepishly smiled, and closed the door he’d left wide open.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
It has been almost a month since New Year’s. Dick and Barbara are doing well, but a legitimate proposal has yet to occur. School had been back in session for about two weeks, Artemis and William were enjoying their time together with no interruptions from nosy family, and tonight they were going to have dinner with Oliver and Dinah to make sure everyone was on the same page with the new relationship.  
They met up at Spike’s Junk Yard Dogs. William and Artemis were already seated when Oliver and Dinah arrived. William stood to get their attention.  
“Hey kiddos!” Oliver practically skipped over and hugged William. Artemis stood to receive her hug as well. Dinah followed with a giddy smile and gave hugs before sitting down.  
“So,” Dinah said, “You two seemed to have something to tell us.”  
“Well,” William started, “You two may have gotten a hint, but we wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. Artemis and I are exclusively seeing each other.”  
Dinah and Oliver paused.  
“You owe me twenty bucks.” Dinah held her hand out to Oliver who was removing money from his wallet.  
Artemis and William looked at each other. Artemis spoke first, “I figured you guys knew something, but betting on it? Really?”  
“Oh, we didn’t bet on you guys seeing each other. We were betting on how soon you’d officially tell us. I thought you’d wait a little longer and Dinah said two weeks to a month, so she wins,” Oliver clarified.  
Dinah rolled her eyes. “You two clearly got along, but we thought a bet would be fun. Plus you two are adults and would understand better than anyone the difficulties that could arise from your families.”  
“Fair enough,” Artemis muttered, still slightly annoyed by the bet, “Let’s order.”  
The group ordered and got hot dogs and endless fries. The night went well. Oliver and Dinah seemed to have worked through what had been bothering them last time. It was nice to know that important people in their lives supported them.

William was driving Artemis home from dinner when he realized something. “Hey, did I ever tell you my mom came to see me?”  
Artemis coughed down her water and looked at him. “No,” she said indignantly.  
“Ok, well she visited on New Year’s day and knew I had a girl over and said she was going to look into it. I told her I liked you, but wanted her to figure it out for herself. I told her to come to me first with what she finds.”  
Artemis licked her lips and stayed silent for a moment to process. “Well,” she paused, “I guess this is going to complicated faster than I thought it would. I thought you and your mom weren’t speaking much right now.”  
“The visit was a surprise, I promise.” William pulled up to Artemis’s apartment. They both sat for a moment.  
“Okay, I think you should come up and we should make a plan.”  
William raised his eyebrows, “What kind of plan?”  
“A plan for if your mother decides she wants me dead, or if she just doesn’t like me.”  
“That seems fair.”  
The two got out of the car and headed up the steps to Artemis’s apartment. The door was already unlocked and open, but not enough to easily see inside. William took a step back to check surroundings and pull a collapsible baton out of his coat. Artemis reached to her boot and pulled out two short serrated knife good for throwing or stabbing. William gave a nod to let her know he was ready when she was. Artemis pushed the door open quickly ready to attack.  
A woman wearing a Cheshire mask and a green kimono sat on her counter. “Hey, sis.”


	12. 12

Chapter 12

Artemis stood in the doorway, her mouth agape.  
Jade slipped off her counter and removed her mask in a huff. “I thought we could talk, but since you have company I’ll see myself out.”   
“Wait!” Artemis approached Jade, who had begun opening a window by the sink. She stopped a few feet from her typically absent sibling. “What are you here for?”  
Jade began to grin then stopped. Artemis knew Jade’s games and as much as Jade hid behind them Artemis had grown tired of playing. “Tomorrow is the anniversary.” Jade looked down.  
Artemis knew what she meant. Tomorrow was the anniversary of Lian’s death. “Do you want to stay? For a while or for the night?”  
Jade shook her head, “No. I do want to know his name.” Jade pointed at William.  
“Wu,” William said taking a moment to step forward to stand beside Artemis, “William Wu.”  
Jade took a long breath out and gave Artemis a warning look. “You know who he is. Why him?”  
“Why Will?” Jade began her walk to the window again. “Have a good night.” She slipped out.  
Artemis walked forward and let her hand rest on the window for a moment. She closed it quietly.   
William hadn’t moved. He wanted to mention that the interaction seemed cold, unsatisfying, or maybe harsh, but was that his place? “Hey,” he whispered, “You good?”  
“I’m alright. Jade is on a sinking ship.”  
William wanted to ask what that meant, but Artemis seemed wrapped up in her own thoughts. “Why don’t we take our coats off and I make French toast.”  
Artemis raised her eyebrow at him. “French toast?”  
William huffed and smiled. “Yes, French toast. It’s not too sweet, but still filling.”  
“Okay then.” Artemis took William’s jacket and set it on the back of her couch. Brucely chose that moment to sleepily come out of the bedroom, sniff the newcomers, and fall asleep on the couch. “Some guard dog I have,” Artemis muttered.  
William knew that they needed to have a serious talk about their families. They had mentioned it and knew something would come, but things were happening a lot faster than anticipated. It sucked honestly. Where on earth did she keep her cinnamon?  
Artemis came back over and sat on her chair. “Want help?”  
“Nope. I like making French toast.”  
Artemis sighed her consent.  
“By the way,” William paused in his work to look at her, “We don’t have to talk right now, but we should talk about family things.”  
“No, we should go ahead and talk. I didn’t think we’d be at this point yet.”  
William handed her a plate with two pieces of French toast and went back to the stove. “I’ll go first since we originally came up here to talk about mine. I don’t believe my mother will try to kill you. I told her to come to me first with anything she finds and being the honorific zealot,” William turned to smirk at Artemis, “that she is, I believe she will hold to that.” He finished making his slices of toast, put the supplies in the sink, and went to sit beside her.  
“That being said I also don’t know what she will think of someone who turned her back on the life, but your pedigree may play into your favor. She can’t touch you without declaring war on your family and the league. Since she’s a leader of the league of assassins now she has more power, but the likeliness of attack is low. I doubt people would back her up. Plus you can definitely defend yourself in a fight.”  
Artemis nodded her head. “So the likeliness of her attacking is low. She doesn’t seem like someone who would mettle.”  
“Not her style, but that’s not to say she won’t appear at inopportune times. I doubt we’ll see her for a while, but we should expect her to be popping in.”  
“I think I can handle that.”  
William took Artemis’s plate and his and put them in the sink and began running water. Artemis came beside him with a towel in hand prepared to dry dishes.   
“So, now it’s my turn,” Artemis said. She watched him wash the plate she had just eaten off of. She liked her plates. She’d picked them up from a thrift store in Gotham. They were white with yellow curly-cues on the rim. At least her whole bathroom wasn’t yellow. The thought made her smile.  
“Hmm,” William grunted getting her attention. Artemis looked up.  
“I guess I should start by giving more backstory to recent family events. Jade and Will had an up and down relationship. She was in and out as she pleased and he got into drugs. After Lian was born they held it together for a while, but Jade ultimately left and Will wasn’t one hundred percent yet, so I moved in to help out.” Artemis took the plate from William, dried it, and put it away.  
“It was good for a while. Then Lian was killed in an attempt to get back at Cheshire and Will fell back on old habits. Habits Jade introduced him to. He overdosed. I finished my degree and looked for jobs. I’d been wishy washy on being a hero or leaving the life. After that I was done.”  
William paused in his cleaning. “You and Jade don’t seem to get along very well.”  
“Jade and I haven’t had a chance to actually get along since she ran away from home. Other stuff was always happening or more important. Being on opposite sides didn’t help much.”  
William didn’t feel like that was all of it, so he waited.  
“Jade’s not okay. She needs help that no one can give her. She therapy and safety that I can’t give her. At first when she popped up I tried to talk her into staying with me or just taking a minute to breathe, but she can’t. She doesn’t want to die.”  
William realized what it was that was bothering him and he was more annoyed that she was avoiding it. “You made a comment to her about Will. Why?”  
“I loved him.”  
William nearly dropped the spatula back into the water.   
Artemis laughingly huffed, “Not like that. We got each other through a lot and depended on each other for a lot. I’d never had that with someone before and I doubt I will ever again. When him and Lian died I blamed Jade. I guess I still blame her. I just got tired of cleaning up her mess and in the end it didn’t even work.”  
William put the last of the dirty dishes in the drying rack. Artemis laid the towel over them to do later.  
“For current purposes Jade won’t be a problem. She’s too wrapped up in her own hurt. My dad may mettle, but he’s mostly stayed out of my life.”   
William pulled Artemis to him and kissed her forehead. Artemis wrapped her arms around his torso and held on. They both took deep breaths.  
William broke the silence first, “I’m glad we really talked.”  
“Me too,” Artemis said, though it was muffled by his shirt. “It’s late. Do you want to sleep over?” Artemis moved her head to make eye contact.  
“Sure, I can take the couch this time though.”  
“Or you can sleep in my bed.”  
William was stunned. He gave Artemis a questioning look.  
“I do mean sleep,” she chuckled.  
William smiled. “I was just making sure.”  
“I will finish putting dishes away, the bathroom is attached to the bedroom, so you can go ahead and get comfortable. If you want a shirt or something let me know. I have an unused toothbrush in the cabinet.”  
“Okay, I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”  
A few minutes later Artemis walked into her room to see William in blue boxers brushing his teeth. “I’ll change in here if you’ll go back to the bathroom.”  
William smiled a white, foamy smile and shut the door behind him. Artemis put on her yoga pants, took off her bra, and threw on a tank top. She knocked on the bathroom door. “Can I brush my teeth?”  
William pushed the door open now with a toothy grin. “I’ll hop in the bed.”  
Artemis smiled to herself as she brushed her teeth. She took a quick moment to shave her armpits before heading back to the bedroom. William had turned on the lamp sitting on the bedside table and turned off the overhead light. Artemis slipped under the covers and laid her head on William’s chest. He kissed her forehead and turned off the light.


End file.
